The day Leila came home was the happiest day of Jess’s life. After her daughter had been taken, it seemed to Jess that all life had stopped. In the aftermath of Leila’s disappearance five years previously, all the other elements that made up Jess’s miserable world had quickly unravelled, and although it seemed at the time there was little hope of ever seeing her daughter, giving up had never been an option. The determination to carry on, regardless of any hope of success, eventually led her down the path that reunited her with Leila.
When the hugs and kisses and tears and euphoria in the garden subsided, they all went indoors for tea and celebrations. Sophie and Lucy were thrilled to meet their new sister, even though they couldn’t properly comprehend what that meant or who she was. They shrieked and screamed with delight and ran around the house as if possessed, and Leila, despite being five years older than them, joined in the games with gusto. Jess was similarly hyperactive, constantly jumping up from the kitchen table to see where the girls had gone and what they were up to, seemingly unable to let Leila out of her sight for more than a minute or two.
She repeatedly led them back into the kitchen and sat them down with the adults, who calmly sipped tea amidst the chaos, but within seconds the girls were off again, chasing each other from room to room, clutching their favourite teddies and shouting at the top of their high-pitched voices.
Jess had a thousand things to ask, but her brain was still buzzing from Michael’s revelations earlier that afternoon. She babbled incoherently, throwing questions at him without waiting for answers, until he decided she was not in a fit state to absorb any information, nor would she be for some time to come.
“Jess,” he said in his distinctive, calm and rational manner, his comforting voice somehow rising above the mayhem that was going on around them. “I suggest you take some time to let the dust settle. Get to know your daughter again. None of us can appreciate the trauma she may have experienced over the last four or five years and how that might manifest itself in the coming days.” Jess looked up towards the kitchen doorway that led to the hall. She could still hear the girls playing and their squeals echoing around the house. The feverish and edgy manner she’d been unable to moderate slowly relaxed as Michael continued.
“You should be prepared for some emotional fallout as Leila adjusts to her new surroundings. Remember that only twenty-four hours ago she was immersed in the madness of Kathmandu with people she didn’t know and little understanding of what was happening to her.” Jess lowered her eyes as new and darker thoughts began to whirl around inside her head. Emma moved to the chair next to her and took her hand. It was cold and shaking.
“I shall have to get used to calling you Jess in future,” she said with a kindly smile. “Unless, of course, you prefer otherwise.”
Jess looked up at her ruefully.
“No. That’s fine, either will do. The twins think I’m Alice. That was the only name Peter ever used, so I guess I’ll be stuck with it for a while yet.” But as she spoke, it began to dawn on her that the road ahead might be fraught with difficulties. It was tempting to think that now, all was right with the world, and this was another exciting new beginning on a journey that would take them who knows where? Despite her elation, she knew that she needed Peter’s towering strength to help her more than ever, and realised how terribly she missed him. But Peter was gone, and whatever she had to do, she would have to do it herself.
“You know, Jess,” said Emma. “We were never blessed with children and sometimes it’s been a matter of great regret, for me at least.” She turned to Michael who smiled fondly back at her. “It never happened for us. It wasn’t to be. But despite all the bad things that happened to you, I hope you’ll appreciate how lucky you are and that you’ve so much to look forward to. And of that, I confess to being insanely jealous.” Jess looked up at her, worried for a moment that, for the first time ever, Emma might be about to weep all over her. “We’ll be here to help you in any way we can. Be in no doubt about that.” Jess flung her arms around her, and Emma stiffened slightly but then gently patted Jess’s back in response.
“We are going to leave you to it,” announced Michael, putting his mug down and getting to his feet. “I’ll come back in a few days and we’ll have a chat about things, but if you need anything, anything at all, just call. Any hour of the day or night. Promise?”
“Promise,” said Jess, and she stood up just as Lucy ran into the kitchen.
“Mummy! Mummy! Leila’s caught a mouse!”
“Oh my God!” gasped Emma, leaping up from her chair, nervously clutching the pearls around her neck. “Michael! Go and deal with it immediately!” Michael shrugged, giving the impression that in this particular matter he might be somewhat out of his comfort zone.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Jess calmly, pleased they had all been brought back down to earth, at least for a moment. “We get them now and again. I think it’s time we got ourselves a cat.” Michael sighed with apparent relief; his pest control services might not be required. But Emma wasn’t convinced the danger had passed and she was right, as usual, as Leila came bounding into the kitchen, hands clasped together, with Sophie in hot pursuit.
Leila stopped in front of the women as Emma leaned back instinctively, lips pursed, eyes wide in trepidation. Leila held up her hands and, with a smile of delight, opened them to reveal a small brown furry animal sitting up in the palm of one hand, whiskers twitching and tiny chest heaving. But it was only for a second as Emma, having feared the worst, whimpered and recoiled, her sudden movement spurring the rodent into action. It leapt a foot in the air out of Leila’s hand, and landed on the kitchen table, hopping and skipping down to the far end as fast as its little legs could carry it.
Emma’s terror was complete. She screamed like a banshee and the twins joined in, running in circles around the table, squealing with excitement, and then crawling underneath it in pursuit of the mouse.
“Michael! Michael!” Emma shrieked at her husband who remained calm but unclear as to what he should do, as his wife hopped manically from one foot to the other. Without making a sound Leila dropped to the floor and joined the twins under the table, but within a second they all reappeared, charging out of the kitchen and continuing the chase down the hallway. “Oh ... Oh!” moaned Emma, still shaking and twitching, and it was Jess’s turn to comfort her with a hand on the shoulder.
“They’re harmless,” she said, hands on hips. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Michael! Go out there and check it’s gone.” Michael, dutiful as ever, did his wife’s bidding. He was back in a moment.
“They’ve all gone upstairs. Quick, while the coast is clear.” He winked at Jess as Emma tottered out of the kitchen on tiptoes, holding her skirt up above her knees. Jess went up to him and threw her arms round his neck.
“Thank you,” she said quietly in his ear, “for everything.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow. Don’t hesitate,” he ordered, pointing at her as he shuffled backwards out to the hallway.
“I won’t.”
“Michael!” Jess heard Emma’s summons from the other end of the hall and she smiled before she heard the main door shut with a loud thud, and for a moment the silence engulfed her. Then came the distant cries from upstairs, summoning, impatient, demanding.
“Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!” She shook her head and put her brain back into gear.
“Coming,” she shouted and set off at a run.